Alright! I apologize for leaving the cliffhanger.... I couldn't resist though! To clear up some questions posed by reviewers,
ive-already-seen-hell and SnowCharms: Zuko knows about Ty Lee blocking Katara's chi (he mentioned a few chapters back i think); and you're absolutely right, Iroh probably could have done something about it... but if Katara can kick butt without Zuko needing to help it would certainly make things less interesting :)
Thank you all for the lovely reviews: ArrayePL, NekoDoodle, icedragoncat, Calamitynexus, Totally CRAZY and Hyper, ashurin, samdizon, SnowCharms, tinkrbell225, ive-already-seen-hell, Olena, Anon, vicious-fluffy-bunny-llama, fallendeathlord, Sempiternus, Atem's Sister Atea, and Kamalia!! Every review made my day!
Disclaimer: Don't own the show! Because Zuko obviously wouldn't have ended up with Mai if I did!
Penetrating the Smokescreen
- - - - - -
Chapter eleven
- - - - - -
Katara's breath came in sharp gasps as her widened cerulean eyes took in the sight of her attackers. Four. Four large, intoxicated, burly men, each of whom was easily twice her weight and size.
"Not so tough now, are you?" His breath stunk as the drunkard moved closer, his lips now far too close to her own for comfort.
Katara drew back in disgust, realizing with dismay that she had practically no room to negotiate as she bumped into the second man positioned behind her.
"Now, let's see what's under this little blue dress." His eyes flashed with lust as he moved to grasp at the folds of the blue fabric that covered her bosoms.
Drawing in her breath sharply, the waterbender yanked up her knee, which contacted solidly with his groin. The drunk dropped down to the ground with a groan, and she struggled to free herself. "Don't you dare lay your dirty hands on me!"
He rose far more quickly than she expected, his open palm making brutal contact with her cheek. The blow was so intense that her breath was expelled from her, and she let out a surprised gasp. Her cheek throbbed, and she could tell that a bruise was already forming. The two men not directly involved in the assault leered in assent, staring greedily towards her.
"I like spirit, but that's too much for my taste," her attacker grunted, wiping his parted lips. He stunk of liquor, and his voice was hoarse with desire. "I'll teach you to behave." He moved more quickly this time, too fast for her stunned body to produce a reaction. He pressed his lips painfully against her own, his intrusive tongue penetrating her virgin lips. He pressed one of his hands roughly against her bosom, groping her.
Lifting his face from the unwilling kiss, he gazed at her triumphantly. "See, even you ain't too hard to break." His gaze wandered wantonly to her breasts, one of which he was still painfully groping. To her horror, his eyesight then moved southward.
No, no, NO! This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening! Katara was gasping for breath now, wincing at the pain of her bruised lips and the continual violation of her breasts. She was going to be assaulted, and she couldn't fight back. A desperation stemmed from deep within her, and panic rose soon after. She couldn't stop this.
His attention shifted from her bosom to her clothing, which restricted his movements. He pulled down one sleeve of her dress roughly, revealing the tight white bindings beneath.
Katara was frozen. It was almost as if she was watching the transgression from afar. A portion of her mind felt strangely detached, as if what was happening was neither real nor could hurt her in any way. Another fraction of her had already given into a helpless hysteria. Her breath was ragged in her ears, her arms bruised and aching from being wrenched around so forcefully. Her lips stung, and a sour aftertaste of liquor lingered in her mouth. The evening air felt cold, so cold on the bare skin of her shoulder.
She was trapped.
- - - - - -
Aang awoke, again in darkness. The faint sounds of spider-crickets chirping outside his entrapment alerted him to the fact that it was now most likely evening. He had spent the day drifting in and out of consciousness, although he had never really been conscious of the passing of time.
His throat felt heavy and sore, parched from lack of liquid. His stomach reminded him painfully that he could not recall his last meal. But these were small worries in the mind of the Avatar, who was slowly and groggily regaining threads of cognizance.
Aang had always had a fifth sense, so to speak, that helped make him aware when his comrades were in danger. And the young airbender had a strong, uncomfortable sense that both his water tribe companions were currently in jeopardy.
Blinking twice, he made an attempt to take stock of his surroundings. He was in a cell, that much was certain. It was dark, and he was unable to discern anything else about his prison. He was chained, both at his wrists and his ankles, and his bonds were made of heavy, well-wrought iron. From first glance, it wasn't looking like escaping would be much of an option.
His sensitive ears picked up the sounds of movement, somewhere outside his cell. The rusty creaking of heavy iron locks being shifted and moved focussed his attention forward, as a starlit outline replaced utter darkness, signaling the opening of his prison door.
"So you're the Avatar? Smaller than I expected. I can't believe it took Zuzu so long to unsuccessfully capture you. How pathetic." A strangely detached, but very well-spoken female voice drifted towards him in the dark. The sudden illumination of flames caused him to blink against the light, and Aang attempted to determine the identity of the speaker. She was female, a firebender with ebony hair and disturbingly familiar golden eyes. A flame, the source of the sudden light, flickered in her open palm. She shook her head, then turned to face someone outside her line of vision, presumably another firebender.
"Give him some water and some bread, but be careful. Set an extra watch to make sure that he doesn't try anything." She turned to face him, and a smirk touched her lips. "My father will appreciate the great gift that I have brought him. And the whole world will celebrate the ultimate victory of the Fire Nation."
- - - - - -
Katara dully registered that her assailant was now clumsily attempting to pull down the second sleeve of her dress. He was getting frustrated, and a cold logical part of her mind reasoned that he would soon be impatient enough to tear her garments right off.
She was suddenly aware of an abrupt change in her attacker's attitude. The man who held her arms quickly stiffened, and she winced at the renewed discomfort. She became faintly aware that all four men were now staring at a newcomer, a dark shape that she could not make out through her tearing eyes.
"Let her go." The voice seemed familiar to her, somehow, but her mind was scattered in a thousand different directions and the waterbender could not make sense of anything that was happening. The newcomer stepped forward into the faint light that lit the alleyway, and sudden realization swept over Katara. It was Zuko.
His eyes flashed golden, in an anger that she recognized, although she had never seen it so intensely before. His voice was low, and she sensed rage in that tenor. "Leave now, and I might just have the compassion to let you live."
Her attacker chortled as he dropped his hands from her shoulders. "An' you think you would be a match for the four of us, eh, half-pint?" The man holding her arms let them go, stepping around her to face this new threat. With nothing supporting her, Katara sunk to the ground, her knees no more supportive than the branch of a bruised sapling.
Zuko stiffened, his face a mask of fury. "I'll show no mercy. But you don't deserve any."
The two cronies who had stood by watching her assault stepped forward first, their muscles tightening as their large palms clenched into fists. As one moved forward to throw a well-backed punch at Zuko, he slipped gracefully out of the way, reaching back to draw two twin, curved blades. Before the grunt could regain his balance from the missed thrust, the firebender brought down the butt of his sword hard on his attackers shoulder. The man crumpled like a felled tree, and lay moaning on the hard packed street.
Realizing that they were opposing an armed man, the three remaining men shared a concerned glance. Zuko didn't pause. The darkness disguised his movements and he seemed to come from nowhere as he dashed forward and struck at the closest peasant, who took two hits from the hilt of his twin blades before falling to the earth, grasping at his chest.
The brute who had taken pleasure in restraining Katara's arms jumped forward with an angered shout, which the warrior quickly silenced. Zuko brought up the butt of his sword and struck his attacker's face squarely in the cheek. The faint moonlight illuminated the saliva as it was expelled from the man's gaping maw, his pained grunt seeming loud in the silence. One more swift blow with the blunt edge of Zuko's blade brought the attacker to his knees, moaning as he cradled his damaged face.
The last man standing was the drunkard, who was no longer looking quite as confident as he had less than a minute prior. He held out his palms in a consolatory gesture. "Look, we obviously got off on the wrong foot. What say we just go our own separate ways?"
"That option was forgone the moment you set your hands on her." Zuko's voice bled rage. "And I will make you pay."
His eyes flashing a conglomeration of anger and fear, the drunkard leapt forward with a shout. Zuko wasted little time on him, swinging his blades to strike him once in the chest with the hilt of his sword, then bringing up his knee to make contact with the peasant as he fell. The air whooshed audibly from his chest, as the man fell down to his knees. He looked up towards the firebender, and there was no anger left in him, replaced now with fear. "Please..."
Zuko's blows were swift and resounding, and left the man unconscious and lying face-down in the dirt. He spared his opponent one final, disgusted glance, before returning his twin blades to their respective sheaths. His chest rose and fell with his even breath as he took stock of his four felled opponents.
Katara's wide eyes had watched it all. She still sat, half-fallen, half-kneeling, her hands splayed out on the ground. She was aware of the goosebumps on her exposed skin, but felt just as strangely helpless over her body as she had during the entire ordeal.
The firebender moved quickly towards her, kneeling down before her. The fury that had shone so strongly was now replaced by blatant concern. "Are you alright?" It was too dark to see the bruises on her already tanned skin, but the ivory of her bindings stood out like a sore thumb in the darkness, and he touched her arm gingerly.
At his touch, Katara regained sudden and complete control over her body. She slapped his hand aside as if revolted. "Don't touch me," she hissed. Zuko drew back as if stung. Abruptly aware of her exposed condition, the waterbender quickly slipped her arm back into the sleeves of her dress, drawing the folds of blue fabric cross-wise over her chest to cover the white bindings. She stood up quickly, wobbling slightly before regaining her balance. The firebender rose silently beside her, eyeing her but being careful not to touch the distressed waterbender.
Katara was still breathing heavily, and she took a moment to orient herself. Without a single word, she crossed her arms and pressed them firmly across her chest, as if to cover up any nakedness that could have remained. She set out silently in the direction of their camp, without sparing a single glance at either Zuko or her felled attackers.
The firebender paused for a moment, looking almost lost, before following her, careful to keep a safe distance.
- - - - - -
Zuko remained silent the remainder of the trip back to their campsite, as did Katara. The fire was still eating its way through the remaining wood, casting a dull red glow on the immediate surroundings. He eyed the waterbender, noting that her expression was carefully composed. She could have just come from a casual stroll for the amount of emotion she betrayed.
She stood still for a moment, her gaze elsewhere, and he felt at a loss. What was he supposed to do?
"Can I make you some tea?" She started as he spoke, but did not look at him. Shaking her head, she walked over towards her sleeping bag, and lay down on top of the blankets, her back to the ground and her face the sky.
Zuko stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. Was he supposed to console her? She didn't seem to want any comfort at all. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" The waterbender snapped, not bothering to spare him a glance. "Leave me alone."
Unconvinced, Zuko sat down on his blankets, feeling helpless. What more could he do? With a sigh, he lay down, staring impatiently at the stars, his mind abuzz with concern for the girl laying across from him.
- - - - - -
Iroh sat back, a contented smile gracing his lips. "Don't be too upset, my friend. Using the Lotus tile is a very useful, but often underestimated tactic!"
The lemur's green eyes creased with what might have been interpreted as frustration as he threw down one of his tiles onto the board in defeat.
"Well, I'll tell you what; let's have a rematch in the morning then! I'm always up for a friendly game!"
Iroh watched as the lemur stalked away, pausing to glance up at the deepening twilight as his brows creased in concern. "I hope you are taking good care of each other out there..."
- - - - - -
Several hours must have passed, as Zuko drifted in and out of a light, restless sleep. The fire had died to leave only its embers, and the exiled prince stared up into the night sky, replaying the events of the evening for the thousandth time. He felt an enormous amount of guilt for having taken so long to get to Katara. The frightened and defeated look in her cerulean orbs felt singed into his memory.
As he thought of the waterbender, a muffled sound caught his attention, and he stiffened in alert. Their camp was once again quiet for several moments, until Zuko caught the sound again, faint but still discernible. The sound was unmistakably that of weeping.
Katara was trying to keep quiet, and he slowly and quietly turned his head to peer at her. He noted that she had her head buried into her arms, hugging her knees as her body curled inward to make her seem even smaller than she already was.
The same feeling came over the firebender as during the night by the stream, stronger and more insistent than before. That such a strong and independent individual was left so shattered seemed criminal. The soft sounds of her sobs only served to emphasize the waterbenders fragility.
The sounds continued for several more minutes, as Zuko listened. He was in agony about what to do; she had made it clear she wanted him nowhere near her. But how could he ignore such gut-wrenching, unguarded emotion?
He lay still for several more moments before making up his mind. Zuko stood silently, but Katara was so engrossed in her emotions that she didn't notice his movements. She still lay atop her blankets, and as he moved stealthily towards her, he could see her body shivering in the cool night air.
Moving to her side, the firebender swallowed back the last of his doubt. He lay down quickly beside her, feeling her body immediately stiffen as it contacted his own. Her curled body fit perfectly into the mold of his own as he lay on his side, draping one arm across her own, placing his hand softly on one of hers, covering her icy fingers.
He dared not breathe, as Katara lay stiffly and silently for several moments that seemed to drag out into an eternity. And then her fingers curled tentatively to clasp his own, icy cold against warm.
As one they both let out their breath, though neither spoke. Gradually, Katara ceased to shiver, and the sobs that had wracked her body finally calmed. Her voice was still hoarse with tears when she finally spoke. "I couldn't fight back... I was helpless..."
Instead of replying, the firebender simply squeezed her hand, and Katara seemed to take comfort in the gesture. For a long time, neither spoke.
The two benders lay still beneath the stars, hands clasped. Zuko listened as the pattern of Katara's breathing finally changed, signaling sleep. He lay awake for several moments longer before he too, drifted off into blissful slumber.
- - - - - -
Well that was a little more than PG-13. I added a little more fluff then I was originally intending, too; but it seemed like good timing.
Let me know what you think! As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated!!